Establish and implement a written exposure control plan that identifies tasks that involve exposure and methods used to protect workers, including procedures to restrict access to work areas where high exposures may occur.

Designate a competent person to implement the written exposure control plan.

Restrict housekeeping practices that expose workers to silica where feasible alternatives are available.

Offer medical exams-including chest X-rays and lung function tests-every three years for workers who are required by the standard to wear a respirator for 30 or more days per year.

Train workers on work operations that result in silica exposure and ways to limit exposure.

OSHA has released several Fact Sheets for how construction companies can limit exposure to silica dust depending on what equipment is being used (eg: handheld power saws, vehicle-mounted drilling rigs, heavy equipment and utility vehicles used during demolition activities, etc).

Gabriel can assist companies in creating a written exposure control plan, as well as perform silica dust testing and reporting. Contact Bill Gray, Senior Vice President, at bgray{at}gabenv.com with any questions or for a proposal.

All facilities that have, or are required to have, a State of Illinois air pollution operating permit are required to file an Annual Emissions Report (AER) by May 1st each year.

These reports include data about the previous calendar year’s emissions for regulated pollutants.

IEPA emailed forms to each applicable facility in January, but did not physically mail any forms this year. Failure to receive the AER forms from IEPA does not relieve facilities of their obligation to file a timely report. If your facility did not yet receive your forms, contact buzz.asselmeier@illinois.gov.

IEPA has been cracking down on air violations, assessing over $1 million in penalties to companies throughout the state in 2017. More than $300,000 of that total was assessed for air permitting violations.

The first annual Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference (MECC) will be held October 29-30th at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare and will focus on EPA’s Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and 35 tribes).

MECC events are hosted by state business and manufacturing associations and supported by U.S. EPA and State Agencies. These Midwestern environmental conferences:

Provide an insider perspective on key regional issues

Offer valuable, up-to-date information on rapidly-changing areas of regulation and law

Create a forum for valuable networking with regulators, clients and potential clients/customers

Foster meaningful, professional conversation with federal, state and local regulators

Deliver great speakers and thought leaders with unique insights, real experience, and a seasoned perspective

Provide an environmental “boot camp” training opportunity for those relatively new to environmental compliance and permitting or new to a particular environmental medium

Chicago’s conference will include sessions featuring administrators from U.S. EPA and state environmental agencies, including Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR).

Some of the conference sessions will discuss:

U.S. EPA Regional Priorities

Emerging Water Issues

Hot Topics in Remediation and Waste Materials Management

Regional Air Issues Roundtable

Compliance Auditing

More information, the conference schedule, and registration can be found at mecconference.com.

This course provides a thorough overview of the major topics and concerns in hazardous materials management. Completion of this course will enable attendees to take the CHMM exam, satisfy training requirements, enhance their competence in the profession, and get updated information.

This three-day course will be taught by approximately 25 hazardous materials management professionals who will cover the following topics:

Hazardous Waste Treatment Technologies

Environmental Law & Regulation Overview, including Liability and Compliance

Offered by:
DePaul University
Department of Environmental Science and Studies
in cooperation with the Chicago Chapter of the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals
and
Gabriel Environmental Services

Economy, Energy, and Environment (E3) ensures that a company’s environmental resources and 3M resources – Manpower, Machine, and Money – are utilized as effectively as possible, with minimal impact on the earth’s ecology.

E3 joins forces with local communities to connect small and medium-sized manufacturers with experts from federal agencies, states, and regions. In each E3 community, teams conduct customized technical assessments and offer practical, sustainable approaches that manufacturers can incorporate into their operations.

Learn more at the South Cook County E3 Kick-off Meeting on Thursday, October 30th, 2014 (9am – 11:30am), at Prairie State College Conference Center (202 S. Halsted St, Chicago Heights). RSVP to Vinod Patel by October 24th to vapatel@illinois.edu.

Property owners beware: if you have a building with any suspected asbestos-containing materials, be sure to have it properly tested and removed by a licensed firm, or you could face jail time and/or major financial penalties.

Suspected asbestos-containing materials

Last year, a building owner and its non-licensed contractor were found guilty of several felony counts for failure to properly remove asbestos insulation.

Michael Pinski pled guilty to violations of the Clean Air Act related to illegal and unsafe asbestos removal from a Kankakee building he owned. He was sentenced to 6 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release including six months of home detention.

Pinski hired Origin Fire Protection to remove the asbestos-containing pipe insulation in the 5-story building he owned in Kankakee. Origin’s owner and operator, Duane “Butch” O’Malley subsequently arranged for James Mikrut to recruit and oversee workers to remove the asbestos. During O’Malley’s trial, evidence was presented that Origin Fire Protection was not trained to remove asbestos and that it agreed to do the work for substantially less money than a licensed abatement firm. Furthermore, after improperly removing the asbestos-containing
insulation, Mikrut and his crew dumped more than 100 trash bags in an open field in Hopskins Park, causing soil contamination.

O’Malley was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of five felony counts. In addition, he was ordered to pay $47,086 in restitution for the cleanup of the asbestos materials by the EPA and a $15,000 fine. Mikrut pled guilty to five felony counts and was sentenced to 12 months plus one day in prison, followed by one year of supervised release under home detention.

Gabriel has licensed asbestos inspectors who can assist you with determining if asbestos exists and recommend licensed firms for the abatement process if it does. If you have any questions about asbestos, contact Steve Sawyer (ssawyer[at]gabenv.com or 773-486-2123) or Bill Gray (bgray[at]gabenv.com or 219-972-1110).

On April 22nd, Gabriel joined Strack & Van Til to celebrate their first silver LEED certification at their Cedar Lake, IN grocery store. At this Earth Day event, the first 100 shoppers received reusable grocery bags and other eco-friendly products, including giveaways from Gabriel.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification, building projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification.

Gabriel is proud to be one of Strack & Van Til’s LEED partners for this innovative store. We assisted our clients by conducting LEED air quality sampling and analysis. Strack & Van Til achieved their Silver Certification by using sustainable site development, increasing energy efficiency, decreasing water usage, and maintaining indoor environmental quality.

“Companywide, we’re trying to reduce our energy stamp. It makes sense now to spend the extra money,” said John Ritchie, director of facilities for Strack & Van Til.

To learn more about how Gabriel can help with your project’s LEED certification, contact Bill Gray (bgray[at]gabenv.com) or John Polich (jpolich[at]gabenv.com).

More information about Strack & Van Til’s LEED-certified store is available at:

As a reminder, the Illinois Annual Air Emissions Report (AER) is due on May 1st each year for all facilities that have an air pollution operating permit. To learn more about the AER report, visit epa.state.il.us/air/aer/.

The Title V/Clean Air Act Permit Program (CAAPP) Annual Compliance Certification is also due on May 1st for all eligible facilities. For more information about the CAAPP program, visit epa.state.il.us/air/caapp/.

Illinois EPA has been cracking down on air violations in recent months, leading to enforcement action and penalties for several companies who have failed to obtain the proper CAAPP permits or file reports on time. Our January/February Gabriel Gazette highlighted one Chicago area firm that was fined $50,000 for air violations including failure to obtain a CAAPP permit and failure to submit an AER.

If you need assistance in completing the Annual AER, CAAPP Annual Compliance Certification, or any CAAPP permit forms, contact our Water Department at WaterDept @gabenv.com.